CN216670309U

CN216670309U - Supersurface optical device and optical apparatus with tilted nanostructure elements

Info

Publication number: CN216670309U
Application number: CN202220088595.0U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孙磊; 邱兵
Original assignee: SHphotonics Ltd
Current assignee: SHphotonics Ltd
Priority date: 2022-01-13
Filing date: 2022-01-13
Publication date: 2022-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 2032-01-13
Also published as: US20230221462A1

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a super-surface optical device and an optical apparatus. The super-surface optical device includes: a substrate; and a nanostructure layer on the substrate, the nanostructure layer comprising a plurality of nanostructure units, wherein the plurality of nanostructure units extend in a direction away from the substrate, and central axes of the plurality of nanostructure units form respective included angles with respect to a normal direction of the substrate, such that the plurality of nanostructure units are disposed obliquely with respect to the substrate.

Description

Supersurface optical device with tilted nanostructure elements and optical apparatus

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of super-surface technology, and more particularly, to a super-surface optical device and an optical apparatus.

Background

A meta-surface refers to an artificial two-dimensional material having dimensions smaller than the operating wavelength. The basic structural unit of the super surface is a nano structural unit, the size of the nano structural unit is smaller than the working wavelength, and the nano structural unit is in a nano level. The super surface can realize flexible and effective regulation and control of characteristics such as electromagnetic wave polarization, amplitude, phase, polarization mode, propagation direction, propagation mode and the like.

The super surface has super light ultra-thin nature, and super surface optical device based on super surface preparation compares in traditional optical device, has optical property excellence, and is small, advantage such as integrated level height, and the prospect is wide in future portable miniaturized equipment such as augmented reality wearing equipment, virtual reality wearing equipment, mobile terminal camera lens etc. and uses.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The disclosed embodiments provide a super-surface optical device and an optical apparatus.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a super-surface optical device, comprising: a substrate; and a nanostructure layer on the substrate, the nanostructure layer comprising a plurality of nanostructure units, wherein the plurality of nanostructure units extend in a direction away from the substrate, and central axes of the plurality of nanostructure units are at respective angles with respect to a normal direction of the substrate, such that the plurality of nanostructure units are obliquely arranged with respect to the substrate.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an optical apparatus comprising the aforementioned super-surface optical device.

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a central axis of the plurality of nanostructure elements on the substrate is at an angle with respect to a normal direction of the substrate, such that the plurality of nanostructure elements are obliquely disposed with respect to the substrate. The structure combines the advantages of abundant functions and high transmission efficiency of the inclined grating of the traditional super-surface optical device, so that the transmission efficiency or the reflection efficiency of incident light can be improved, and simultaneously, the characteristics of the incident light, such as phase, amplitude, polarization mode, propagation direction, propagation mode and the like, can be flexibly and effectively regulated, and the novel super-surface device different from the traditional super-surface device is provided.

These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

Drawings

Further details, features and advantages of the disclosure are disclosed in the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the operating principle of a super-surface optical device in the related art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a tilted grating in the related art;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a super-surface optical device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a super-surface optical device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a super-surface optical device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a super-surface optical device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of an optical device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In the following, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art can appreciate, the described embodiments can be modified in various different ways, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

Spatially relative terms such as "below …," "below …," "lower," "below …," "above …," "upper," and the like may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that these spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" or "under" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary terms "below …" and "below …" may encompass both an orientation above … and below …. Terms such as "before …" or "before …" and "after …" or "next" may similarly be used, for example, to indicate the order in which light passes through the elements. The devices may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. In addition, it will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers may also be present.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and the phrase "at least one of a and B" refers to a alone, B alone, or both a and B.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "connected to," "coupled to" or "adjacent to" another element or layer, it can be directly on, connected to, coupled to or adjacent to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," "directly coupled to," or "directly adjacent to" another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. However, neither "on … nor" directly on … "should be construed as requiring that one layer completely cover an underlying layer in any event.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to schematic illustrations (and intermediate structures) of idealized embodiments of the present disclosure. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of a region of a device and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and/or the present specification and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

As used herein, the term "substrate" may refer to a substrate of a diced wafer, or may refer to a substrate of an unslit wafer. Similarly, the terms chip and die (die) may be used interchangeably unless such interchange causes a conflict. It should be understood that the term "layer" includes films and, unless otherwise specified, should not be construed as indicating a vertical or horizontal thickness.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a super-surface optical device 100 in the related art.

As shown in FIG. 1, a super-surface optical device 100 is comprised of a substrate 102, a plurality of nanostructure elements (e.g., nanopillars) 104 arranged on the substrate 102, and a dielectric protection material 106 that protects the plurality of nanostructure elements 104. Wherein the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 have sub-wavelength dimensions, thereby enabling the modulation of light of the respective operating wavelength at a local location. Also, the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 may have different sizes, shapes, and arrangement periods on the substrate 102. Therefore, when light passes through the super-surface optical device 100, the array of nanostructure elements 104 can flexibly and effectively control the polarization, amplitude, phase, polarization mode, propagation direction, propagation mode, and other characteristics of the light. A dielectric protection material 106 is arranged to surround the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 to protect and support them. The refractive index of the material of the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 is greater than the refractive index of the dielectric protection material 106, such that a substantial portion of the light passing through the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 propagates within.

The principle of operation of the super-surface optical device 100 is as follows. When the incident light 108 is incident on the conventional super-surface optical device, a portion of the light is incident on the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 through the substrate 102, and a portion of the light is incident on the dielectric protection material 106 through the substrate 102. Since the refractive index of the material of the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 is greater than the refractive index of the dielectric protection material 106, light incident on the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 will propagate primarily inside the plurality of nanostructure elements 104, which will be locally modulated by the different effective refractive index, while light not incident on the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 will pass directly through the dielectric protection material 106. In this manner, the super-surface optical device 100 can locally modulate the incident light 108 by the plurality of nanostructure elements 104 thereon having different effective refractive indices, changing the characteristics of the incident light 108 such as polarization, amplitude, phase, polarization mode, propagation direction, propagation mode, etc. In the example of fig. 1, after the incident light 108 originally having the planar wavefront 112 passes through the super-surface optical device 100, the emergent light 110 having the curved wavefront 114 can be obtained, so that the wavefront of the light is modulated.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation principle of a tilted grating in the related art.

As shown in fig. 2, the optical device 200 is composed of an optical waveguide 202, an inclined grating 204a arranged on the left side of the surface of the optical waveguide 202, and an inclined grating 204b arranged on the right side of the surface of the optical waveguide 202. The normally incident light 208 passes through the slanted grating 204a, changes its propagation direction and is coupled into the optical waveguide 202. The light 212 coupled into the optical waveguide 202 is totally reflected in the optical waveguide to propagate in the optical waveguide. When the light 212 propagating in the optical waveguide 202 reaches the position of the slanted grating 204b, the propagation direction is changed and the light is coupled out of the optical waveguide 202, so that the outgoing light 210 exiting vertically is obtained. As can be seen from the above description, the tilted

gratings

204a and 204b arranged in the optical device 200 can implement the deflection of the light beam and thus can be used to change the propagation direction of the light.

However, through the research on the super-surface device and the tilted grating in the related art, the inventors found that although the conventional super-surface optical device can flexibly adjust and control the characteristics of the incident light, such as polarization, amplitude, phase, polarization mode, propagation direction, propagation mode, and the like, the transmission efficiency and the reflection efficiency of the conventional super-surface optical device are relatively low, thereby causing a large loss of the incident light energy. Although the tilted grating has a high transmission efficiency and can reduce the energy loss of incident light, the tilted grating has a single function and is generally used only for changing the propagation direction of incident light.

In view of this, the disclosed embodiments provide a super-surface optical device and an optical apparatus including the super-surface optical device. In the super-surface optical device, the central axes of the plurality of nanostructure units on the substrate form a certain included angle relative to the normal direction of the substrate, so that the plurality of nanostructure units are obliquely arranged relative to the substrate. Because the super-surface optical device combines the advantages of rich functions and high transmission efficiency of the inclined grating of the traditional super-surface optical device, the transmission efficiency or the reflection efficiency of incident light can be improved while the characteristics of the phase, the amplitude, the polarization mode, the propagation direction, the propagation mode and the like of the incident light are flexibly and effectively regulated.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, a super-surface optical device includes a substrate and a nanostructure layer on the substrate, the nanostructure layer including a plurality of nanostructure units, wherein the plurality of nanostructure units extend in a direction away from the substrate, and central axes of the plurality of nanostructure units are at respective angles with respect to a normal direction of the substrate, such that the plurality of nanostructure units are obliquely disposed with respect to the substrate.

Fig. 3 illustrates a top view of a super-surface optical device 300 provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 3, the super-surface optical device 300 includes a substrate 302 and a nanostructure layer (portions within rectangular, circular, and triangular dashed boxes) on the substrate. The nanostructure layer includes a plurality of nanostructure elements (e.g.,

nanostructure elements

312, 322, 332, etc.) that are protruding nanostructures on substrate 302 and extend in a direction away from the substrate. The central axes (the connecting lines of the geometric centers of the cross sections in the height direction) of the plurality of nanostructure units form a certain included angle relative to the normal direction of the substrate, so that the plurality of nanostructure units are obliquely arranged relative to the substrate. That is, the plurality of nanostructure elements do not adopt the perpendicular arrangement to the substrate in conventional super-surface optical devices. A dielectric protective material 306 overlying the substrate 302 is arranged to surround the plurality of nanostructure elements to protect and support them.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the type of material of the substrate is not limited, and may include, for example, any one of glass, quartz, polymer, germanium, and plastic. The type of material of the nanostructure layer is not limited, and may include, for example, at least one of single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon carbide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, germanium, hafnium dioxide, and group III-V compound semiconductors. The III-V compound is a compound formed by boron, aluminum, gallium, indium and nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic and antimony of the III group, such as gallium phosphide, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide and indium phosphide.

In the disclosed embodiments, the shape of the substrate is not limited. In some examples, the shape of the substrate may be a regular shape, such as a circle, square, rectangle, polygon, and the like. In other examples, the shape of the substrate may be an irregular shape. The shape of the substrate may be designed accordingly based on the particular application of the super-surface optical device.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of nanostructure units arranged obliquely may be arranged in a regular manner on the substrate, such as an array arrangement, a circular arrangement, a triangular arrangement, a hexagonal arrangement, and the like. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of nanostructure elements that are obliquely arranged may be arranged in an irregular manner, such as a random arrangement, on the substrate.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of nanostructure elements arranged obliquely may be arranged with a constant period on the substrate. As shown in fig. 5, in the super-surface optical device 500, the arrangement period of the plurality of nanostructure elements 512 on the substrate 502 can be understood as the interval between the respective geometric centers of the adjacent nanostructure elements. The plurality of nanostructure elements 512 may be arranged with a constant period as shown in fig. 5, the plurality of nanostructure elements 512 having a constant period P1 in the X direction in the top plane of the substrate 502 and a constant period P2 in the Y direction in the top plane of the substrate 502. In other embodiments, the plurality of nanostructure elements 512 may be periodically arranged in other arrangements on the substrate 502, including, but not limited to, a circular arrangement, a triangular arrangement, a hexagonal arrangement, etc.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of nanostructure elements arranged obliquely may be arranged with a non-constant period on the substrate. Referring to fig. 5, when the plurality of nanostructure elements 512 are arranged in an array on the substrate 502, the plurality of nanostructure elements 512 may have a period P1 that varies in the X-direction within the top plane of the substrate 502 and a period P2 that varies in the Y-direction within the top plane of the substrate 502. In other embodiments, the plurality of nanostructure elements 512 may be non-periodically arranged in other ways on the substrate 502, including, but not limited to, a circular arrangement, a triangular arrangement, a hexagonal arrangement, etc.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the nanostructure layer comprises a plurality of functional regions, each functional region comprising a respective subset of the plurality of nanostructure elements, the plurality of nanostructure elements being arranged such that the plurality of functional regions have different optical functions from each other.

Referring back to fig. 3, the nanostructure layer of the super-surface optical device 300 may include a first functional region 310, a second functional region 320, and a third functional region 330. Different types of nanostructure units are arranged in the first functional region 310, the second functional region 320, and the third functional region 330, respectively. In some embodiments, the plurality of nanostructure elements 312 in the first functional region 310 are all tilted to the negative X-axis direction, and the plurality of nanostructure elements 312 have the same shape of their orthographic projections on the substrate 302, the same size of their orthographic projections on the substrate 302, and the same size of their orthographic projections in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 302. Further, the plurality of nanostructure elements 312 are arranged at a constant period, that is, the period P1 in the X-axis direction remains unchanged and the period P2 in the Y-axis direction remains unchanged. In some embodiments, the plurality of nanostructure elements 322 in the second functional region 320 are all inclined to the positive Y-axis direction, and the plurality of nanostructure elements 322 have the same shape in the orthographic projection on the substrate 302, the same size in the orthographic projection on the substrate 302, and the same size in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 302. However, the plurality of nanostructure elements 322 are arranged with a non-constant period. In some embodiments, a plurality of nanostructure elements (nanostructure element 332, etc.) in the third functional region 330 are inclined to respective directions within the XY plane. Further, the plurality of nanostructure elements are designed such that the plurality of nanostructure elements are not identical in their orthographic shape on the substrate 302, are not identical in their orthographic size on the substrate 302, are not identical in their size in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 302, and are arranged in a non-constant period. When the nanostructure layers are arranged in regions according to the manner, incident light entering different regions can have different characteristics of exit angles, polarization, wavelengths, lens focal lengths and the like after exiting.

It should be understood that, herein, a phrase similar to the phrase "the parameters B of a plurality a are not identical" means that a plurality a is intentionally designed such that a plurality a formed by the manufacturing process has a parameter B that is not identical. Thus, these parameters B, which are not exactly the same, should not be interpreted as being the result of errors in the manufacturing process, and vice versa. For example, "the sizes of the plurality of nanostructure elements in the direction perpendicular to the substrate are not identical" means that the plurality of nanostructure elements are designed to have different vertical sizes, and such a difference in vertical size is not caused by an error in the manufacturing process or a measurement error.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the different functional regions differ in at least one of: the included angle of the central axis of the nanostructure unit relative to the normal direction of the substrate; the shape of the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements on the substrate; the size of the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements on the substrate; a dimension of the nanostructure elements in a direction perpendicular to the substrate; an arrangement period of the nanostructure elements on the substrate; an arrangement pattern of nanostructure elements on a substrate; an orientation of an orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements on the substrate; and a material of the nanostructure elements. Different functions of different areas can be flexibly and conveniently configured by adjusting the parameters.

The structure and characteristics of the nanostructure elements in the different functional regions are further described below with reference to fig. 3 and 4.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the central axes of the nanostructure elements in different functional regions are at different angles with respect to the normal direction of the substrate, i.e. the inclination angles of the nanostructure elements are different. The tilt angle of the nanostructure elements will first be described in connection with fig. 4. As shown in fig. 4, the tilt angle of the nanostructure elements may be understood as the value of the angle α between the central axis 420 of the nanostructure elements 412 and the normal 418 of the substrate 402 and the tilt direction of the nanostructure elements. The plurality of nanostructure units are considered to have the same tilt angle only when the angle values α of the plurality of nanostructure units have the same magnitude and the plurality of nanostructure units have the same tilt direction. As shown in fig. 4, since the

nanostructure elements

416, 414, and 412 are all inclined to the negative X-axis direction and the inclination angles have the same magnitude, the

nanostructure elements

416, 414, and 412 are considered to have the same inclination angles. That is, the nanostructure elements in different functional regions having different tilt angles may include: the values of the tilt angles of the nanostructure elements in different functional areas are different and/or the nanostructure elements have different tilt directions.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the orthographic shape of the nanostructure elements on the substrate within different functional regions may be different. Referring back to fig. 3, the orthographic shape of the nanostructure elements 312 in the first functional region 310 on the substrate 302 is circular, while the orthographic shape of the nanostructure elements 336 in the third functional region 330 on the substrate 302 is elliptical. In other embodiments, the orthographic shape of the nanostructure elements within different functional regions on the substrate may be elliptical, rectangular, hexagonal, triangular, fan-shaped, etc., and may be a symmetrical or asymmetrical shape.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the size of the orthographic projection of nanostructure elements on the substrate within different functional regions may be different. As shown in fig. 3, the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements 312 in the first functional region 310 on the substrate 302 and the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements 322 in the second functional region 320 on the substrate 302 are circles with different radii. In other embodiments, the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements in different functional regions on the substrate can be a triangular orthographic projection, a rectangular orthographic projection, a hexagonal orthographic projection, an elliptical orthographic projection with different semi-major axes and semi-minor axes, and the like.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the dimensions of the nanostructure elements within different functional regions in a direction perpendicular to the substrate may be different. As shown in fig. 3, in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 302, the size of the nanostructure elements 322 in the second functional region 320 is different from the size of the nanostructure elements 334 in the third functional region 330, i.e., the height of the nanostructure elements 322 is different from the height of the nanostructure elements 334.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the period of alignment of the nanostructure elements on the substrate within different functional regions may be different. In some examples, it may be that the nanostructure elements in one region are periodically arranged on the substrate, and the nanostructure elements in another region are non-periodically arranged on the substrate, such as the first functional region 310 and the second functional region 320 in fig. 3. In other examples, the nanostructure elements in both regions may be periodically arranged, but have different arrangement periods.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the arrangement pattern of nanostructure elements on the substrate within different functional regions may be different. For example, the arrangement pattern of the nanostructure units within one functional region may be one of a rectangular pattern, a triangular pattern, a rhombic pattern, a hexagonal pattern, a randomly arranged pattern, and the like, and the arrangement pattern of the nanostructure units within another functional region may be another one of a rectangular pattern, a triangular pattern, a rhombic pattern, a hexagonal pattern, a randomly arranged pattern, and the like.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientation of the orthographic projection of nanostructure elements within different functional regions on the substrate may be different. For example, the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements in one functional region onto the substrate may be at an angle relative to a reference direction, and the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements in another functional region onto the substrate may be at another angle relative to the reference direction.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the material of the nanostructure elements within different functional regions may be different. For example, the material of the nanostructure element in one functional region may be one of single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon carbide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, germanium, hafnium oxide, a group III-V compound semiconductor, and the like, and the material of the nanostructure element in another functional region may be another one of single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon carbide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, germanium, hafnium oxide, a group III-V compound semiconductor, and the like.

The manner in which the different functional regions are partitioned in some embodiments of the present disclosure is described below in conjunction with fig. 6. Super-surface optical device 600 includes a substrate 602, and a functional region 610 and a functional region 620 disposed on substrate 602, a plurality of nanostructure elements 612 in functional region 610 and a plurality of nanostructure elements 622 in functional region 620 having different tilt angles. In other embodiments, the plurality of nanostructure elements 612 and the plurality of nanostructure elements 622 may also differ in at least one of: an orthographic shape on substrate 602, an orthographic dimension on substrate 602, a dimension in a direction perpendicular to substrate 602, an alignment period on substrate 602, an alignment pattern on substrate 602, an orientation of the orthographic projection on substrate 602, and a material. The functional area 610 and the functional area 620 may have different functions. For example, after one incident light beam passes through two functional regions of the super-surface optical device 600, two outgoing light beams with different outgoing directions can be obtained. In other embodiments, the different functions of the functional regions may also include causing exit light passing through different functional regions to have different polarization, wavelength, lens focal length, and the like.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for at least one functional area of the plurality of functional areas, wherein each functional area satisfies at least one of: the included angles of the central axes of the nano-structure units in the functional area relative to the normal direction of the substrate are not completely the same; the orthographic projection shapes of the nanostructure elements in the functional region on the substrate are not identical; the sizes of orthographic projections of the nanostructure elements in the functional region on the substrate are not completely the same; the sizes of the nanostructure elements in the functional region in the direction perpendicular to the substrate are not all the same; the nanostructure elements in the functional region are arranged on the substrate with a non-constant period; the arrangement pattern of different subsets of nanostructure elements in the functional region on the substrate is not identical; the orientations of the orthographic projections of the nanostructure elements in the functional region on the substrate are not exactly the same; and the materials of the nanostructure elements in the functional region are not identical. The function of one area can be flexibly and conveniently configured by adjusting the parameters.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the angles of the central axes of the nanostructure elements in one functional region with respect to the normal direction of the substrate may not be exactly the same, i.e. the tilt angles of the nanostructure elements are not exactly the same. Referring back to the third functional region 330 in fig. 3, in some examples, the magnitude of the tilt angle of the plurality of nanostructure elements is the same, but the tilt directions of the plurality of nanostructure elements are different, such as nanostructure element 332 and nanostructure element 338. In other examples, the plurality of nanostructure elements have the same tilt direction, but the plurality of nanostructure elements have different tilt angles. For example, the magnitude of the tilt angle of the nanostructure elements 412 in fig. 4 is α, and the magnitude of the tilt angle of the nanostructure elements 414 is another value different from α.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the orthographic shapes of nanostructure elements on a substrate in the same functional region may not be identical. Referring to the third functional region 330 in fig. 3, in the orthographic projection direction of the substrate 302, the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements 332 is circular, and the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements 336 is elliptical. In other embodiments, the orthographic shape of the nanostructure elements in one functional region on the substrate 302 can be two or more of oval, rectangular, hexagonal, triangular, fan-shaped, etc., and can be symmetrical or asymmetrical shapes.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sizes of orthographic projections of nanostructure elements on a substrate in the same functional region may not be identical. Referring to the third functional region 330 in fig. 3, the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements 332 on the substrate 302 and the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements 334 on the substrate 302 are circles with different radii. In other embodiments, the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements in one functional region on the substrate 302 may be a triangular orthographic projection, a rectangular orthographic projection, a hexagonal orthographic projection, an elliptical orthographic projection with different semi-major and semi-minor axes, or the like.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the dimensions of the nanostructure elements in the same functional region in the direction perpendicular to the substrate may not be exactly the same. Referring to the third functional region 330 in fig. 3, in the direction perpendicular to the substrate 302, the size of the nanostructure elements 332 is different from the size of the nanostructure elements 334, i.e., the height of the nanostructure elements 332 is different from the height of the nanostructure elements 334.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, nanostructure elements in the same functional region may be arranged in a non-constant period on the substrate. As shown in the third functional region 330 in fig. 3, a plurality of nanostructure elements inside thereof are arranged with a non-constant period.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the arrangement pattern of different subsets of nanostructure elements in the same functional region on the substrate may not be identical. For example, a part of the nanostructure units in one functional region may be arranged in one of a rectangular pattern, a triangular pattern, a diamond pattern, a hexagonal pattern, a random arrangement pattern, etc., and another part of the nanostructure units in the functional region may be arranged in another one of a rectangular pattern, a triangular pattern, a diamond pattern, a hexagonal pattern, a random arrangement pattern, etc.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the orientations of orthographic projections of nanostructure elements on a substrate in the same functional region may not be identical. For example, an orthographic projection of a portion of the nanostructure elements in one functional region onto the substrate may be at an angle relative to a reference direction, and an orthographic projection of another portion of the nanostructure elements in the functional region onto the substrate may be at another angle relative to the reference direction. Referring to the nanostructure elements 336 and the nanostructure elements 337 in the third functional region 330 in fig. 3, the difference between the semi-major axis of the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements 336 on the substrate and the positive X-axis direction (reference direction) is 0 degree, and the semi-major axis of the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements 337 on the substrate and the positive X-axis direction (reference direction) is 90 degrees.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the materials of the nanostructure elements in the same functional region may not be identical. For example, the material of a part of the nanostructure elements in one functional region may be one of single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon carbide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, germanium, hafnium dioxide, and a group III-V compound semiconductor, and the material of another part of the nanostructure elements in the functional region may be another one of single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon carbide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, germanium, hafnium dioxide, and a group III-V compound semiconductor.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the shapes of the plurality of functional regions may not be identical, and/or the areas of the plurality of functional regions may not be identical. As shown in fig. 3 by the first functional area 310, the second functional area 320, and the third functional area 330. The shape and/or area of the plurality of functional regions may be designed accordingly based on the particular application of the super-surface optical device.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of functional regions are arranged in an array on the substrate, including but not limited to a rectangular array, a triangular array, a hexagonal array, and the like. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of functional regions are sequentially arranged in a circumferential direction of a circle on the substrate. As shown in fig. 7, in the super-surface optical device 700, a plurality of functional regions 710 on a substrate 702 are sequentially nested in a radial direction of a circle, and the plurality of functional regions 710 may have different widths in the radial direction of the circle. The arrangement of the plurality of functional regions may be designed accordingly based on the particular application of the super-surface optical device.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of nanostructure units may be nanopillars, i.e., pillar-shaped structures protruding from the substrate. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of nanostructure elements within the plurality of photonic crystal elements may also be nanopores, i.e., a plurality of pore structures formed in a dielectric protective material that may be filled with, for example, air.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a surface of the substrate facing away from the nanostructure layer and/or a surface of the substrate facing towards the nanostructure layer may be covered with a reflective layer. In some embodiments, the reflective layer may completely cover one side of the substrate on which the nanostructure elements are arranged, and between the nanostructure elements and the substrate. In other embodiments, the reflective layer may completely cover the other side of the substrate, i.e., completely cover the side of the substrate where the nanostructure elements are not arranged.

The type of reflective layer is not limited. In some embodiments, the reflective layer may be one of a metal reflective layer, a dielectric reflective layer, and a metal-dielectric reflective layer having a higher reflectivity. The reflective layer may be a metal reflective layer, and the metal reflective layer may be made of a metal material with a larger extinction coefficient, a high reflectivity, and stable optical properties, such as gold, silver, copper, chromium, platinum, aluminum, and the like. The reflective layer may be a dielectric reflective layer, and the material of the dielectric reflective layer is not limited, and may include, for example, at least one of single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon carbide, titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, germanium, hafnium dioxide, and a group III-V compound semiconductor. The III-V compound is a compound formed by boron, aluminum, gallium, indium and nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic and antimony of the III group, such as gallium phosphide, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide and indium phosphide. The reflective layer may be a metal-dielectric reflective layer, i.e. the metal reflective layer is covered with a dielectric layer for protection, and the dielectric protective layer may be made of a dielectric material such as silicon monoxide, magnesium fluoride, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, etc. By adding these reflective layers with higher reflectivity, the super-surface optical device of the present disclosure can be used as a reflective component to reflect light that is locally modulated by the plurality of nanostructure elements back, rather than passing the locally modulated light through the super-surface optical device.

In other embodiments, the reflective layer may be a grating or a layer of dielectric material. At this point, when light enters the super-surface optics of the present disclosure, it is neither fully transmitted nor fully reflected, but rather a portion of the light is transmitted through the super-surface optics and a portion of the light is reflected back. The proportion of the transmitted light and the reflected light can be adjusted according to the actual use requirement. In some examples, it may be that 80% of the light is transmitted and 20% is reflected. In other examples, it may be that 20% of the light is transmitted and 80% of the light is reflected. In still other examples, 50% of the light may be transmitted and 50% may be reflected. When the reflective layer is a grating (the grating is surrounded by a dielectric material to make its surface flat, and the reflective layer may include a multi-layer grating), the ratio of transmitted light and reflected light may be adjusted by changing the refractive index of the grating, the refractive index of the material between each layer of the grating, the thickness of each layer of the grating, and the like. When the reflective layer is a dielectric material layer, the ratio of transmitted light to reflected light can be adjusted by changing the difference in refractive index of the material of the dielectric material layer and the substrate.

The embodiment of the disclosure also provides an optical device. As shown in fig. 8, optical device 800 includes super-surface optics 810. The super-surface optics 810 may take the form of super-surface optics described in any of the previous embodiments. The specific product type of the optical device 800 is not limited, and may be, for example, a lens of an augmented reality wearable device, a virtual reality wearable device, a mobile terminal, or the like, or a spectrometer, a microscope, a telescope, or the like. The optical apparatus 800 also has better optical performance due to the improved optical performance of the super-surface optics 810.

This description provides many different embodiments or examples that can be used to implement the present disclosure. It should be understood that these various embodiments or examples are purely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any way. Those skilled in the art can conceive of various changes or substitutions based on the disclosure of the specification of the present disclosure, which are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the protection scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A super-surface optical device, comprising:

a substrate; and

a nanostructure layer on the substrate, the nanostructure layer comprising a plurality of nanostructure elements,

wherein the plurality of nanostructure units extend in a direction away from the substrate, and central axes of the plurality of nanostructure units are at respective angles with respect to a normal direction of the substrate, such that the plurality of nanostructure units are obliquely arranged with respect to the substrate.

2. A super-surface optical device according to claim 1, wherein the nanostructure layer comprises a plurality of functional regions, each functional region comprising a respective subset of the plurality of nanostructure elements, the plurality of nanostructure elements being arranged such that the plurality of functional regions have different optical functions from one another.

3. A super-surface optical device according to claim 2, wherein the different functional regions differ in at least one of:

the included angle of the central axis of the nanostructure unit relative to the normal direction of the substrate;

the shape of the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements on the substrate;

the size of the orthographic projection of the nanostructure elements on the substrate;

a dimension of the nanostructure elements in a direction perpendicular to the substrate;

a period of alignment of nanostructure elements on the substrate;

an arrangement pattern of nanostructure elements on the substrate;

an orientation of an orthographic projection of nanostructure elements on the substrate; and

a material of a nanostructure element.

4. A super-surface optical device according to claim 2, wherein for at least one functional area of the plurality of functional areas, wherein each functional area satisfies at least one of:

the included angles of the central axes of the nano-structure units in the functional area relative to the normal direction of the substrate are not completely the same;

the orthographic projection shapes of the nanostructure elements in the functional region on the substrate are not identical;

the sizes of orthographic projections of the nanostructure elements in the functional region on the substrate are not all the same;

the sizes of the nanostructure elements in the functional region in the direction perpendicular to the substrate are not all the same;

the nanostructure elements in the functional region are arranged on the substrate with a non-constant period;

the arrangement pattern of different subsets of nanostructure elements in the functional region on the substrate is not identical;

the orthographic projection orientations of the nanostructure elements in the functional region on the substrate are not all the same; and

the materials of the nanostructure elements in the functional region are not identical.

5. A super-surface optical device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of functional regions are not identical in shape and/or are not identical in area.

6. A super-surface optical device according to claim 2, wherein:

the functional regions are arranged in an array on the substrate; or

The functional regions are sequentially arranged on the substrate along the circumferential direction of a circle; or

The functional regions are sequentially nested and arranged on the substrate along the radial direction of the circle.

7. The super surface optical device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanostructure elements are arranged in a constant period on the substrate.

8. The super surface optical device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nanostructure elements are arranged in a non-constant period on the substrate.

9. A super-surface optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the plurality of nanostructure elements are nano-pillars or nano-holes.

10. A super-surface optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a surface of the substrate facing away from the nanostructure layer and/or a surface of the substrate facing towards the nanostructure layer is covered with a reflective layer.

11. An optical device, comprising: the super surface optical device of any one of claims 1 to 10.